It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of comics for almost as long as I’ve been able to read. Although I started with British comics (most of which are long gone), I’ve been reading American comics since I was seven or eight.

Needless to say, that pretty much means super hero comics – a genre that I’m incredibly fond of, regardless of all of its absurdities. (The choice is widening though, and not just with Sandman spin-offs.)

Having read them for a fair chunk of my life, I’d like to think I’m more than passingly familiar with most comics.

However, on my first trip to Paris five years ago, I came across comic stores that were *filled* with comics that I’d never heard of.

And even better, there does seem to be a genuine belief that they’re not just for kids (grown up or otherwise).

So a new world of comics awaited me.

Unfortunately, my grasp of French is, at best, poor.

So what to do? Well, some are translated into English – the best known examples are Tintin and Asterix. There’s also a company that has started producing English translations of some more obscure BD and I’ve liked some of their stuff.

But this year, I’ve bitten the bullet and bought a French language BD.